Patty Fairfield Page 13

  CHAPTER XIII

  HOME-MADE MUSIC

  "Why do you call this the music-room?" asked Patty; "there's no piano init, nor any musical instrument that I can see."

  "That's just the reason why," replied Nan. "I christened the room myself,and I called it the music-room because it hasn't anything musical in it. Iget so tired of seeing music-rooms filled with pianos and banjos andmandolins and guitars. This is a refreshing change. And besides, when wewant music we can sing."

  "Then won't you sing now?" said Patty. "I'd like to hear you."

  "Why, of course we will; would you like to hear some of our originalsongs?"

  "Yes, indeed! Do you make songs yourself?"

  "Oh, we always make our own songs. Home-made songs are ever so much betterthan boughten ones. They fit better and wear longer. We don't make thetunes, though; we just appropriate those. First we'll sing you 'The Song ofthe House.'"

  This was sung to the air of "The Kerry Dance," and the whole family joinedtheir voices with Nan's, and all sang with great spirit.

  Come, oh, come to the Hurly-Burly, Come and join in the jolly fun That begins in the morning early, And continues till day is done.

  Sailing, swimming, walking, riding,-- On the land or on the sea; At the Hurly-Burly biding, We're as happy as we can be.

  Oh, the jollity, oh, the gayety, Just come down and see;

  CHORUS:--Come, oh, come, etc.

  Sometimes we take sandwiches of chick, And go off on a merry pick-a-nick; Sometimes we in hammocks idly swing, At other times we only sit and si-i-ng--

  CHORUS:--Come, oh, come, etc.

  "That's beautiful," said Patty when they had finished the song. "I'll learnthe words, and then I can sing it with you."

  "Indeed you must" said Nan, "and now I'll sing you the song of the Barlowfamily; they won't sing it themselves, but when you learn it, you and I canwarble it together."

  "Sing a song of Barlows, A family full of fun; A father and a mother, A daughter and a son.

  "When the door is open Hear the family sing! All the people passing by Run like anything."

  "It's a base libel," said Uncle Ted; "we sing beautifully, and except thatBumble flats, and Bob has no ear, there isn't a flaw in our singing."

  The evening passed merrily by, and when it was bedtime, Bumble showed Pattyto her room.

  When Patty found that a large front room on the second floor had beenallotted to her, she expressed a fear lest she might be inconveniencingsome one else by taking one of the choice rooms of the house.

  "Not a bit," said Bumble. "Nan has the tower-room, because she likes itbetter, and the house is so big, there are plenty of rooms, anyway. Ofcourse, if a lot of company comes, we may ask you to give up this, and takea smaller room, but you wouldn't mind that, would you?"

  "No, indeed," said Patty. "I'll move out at any time." Then Bumble kissedher cousin good-night and went away.

  Patty's trunk had been placed in her room, and she found that some one hadkindly unfastened its straps and clasps, so she had only to unlock it. Sheunpacked her clothes, and hung up her dresses in the wardrobe and cupboard,and put things neatly away in the bureau-drawers.

  She placed her mother's picture on a small table, and looking at itcritically, she concluded that it was like Aunt Grace, but much prettier.

  After this, Patty looked round the great room with much interest. It seemedto contain a perfect hodge-podge of furniture. There were threedressing-bureaus, and a huge wash-stand with two bowls and pitchers on it.There were several large easy chairs, and an old haircloth sofa; there weresmall tables, and bookcases, and a cabinet filled with bric-a-brac,but,--and Patty could scarcely believe her eyes,--there was no bed!

  When this fact dawned upon her, she concluded that one of the bookcases orbureaus must be a folding-bed.

  She tried to open them, but the bureau-drawers and the bookcase-shelvesproved themselves to be really what they seemed; then she looked for a bedconcealed in an alcove or an anteroom, but the curtains hid only windowsand the doors opened into ordinary closets.

  Patty even looked in the fireplace and up the chimney, but she wasgradually forced to the conclusion that there was no bed at her disposal,and that she must either report this fact to some member of the family orsit up all night.

  As it was now late she hesitated to trouble anybody about the matter, andthought she would rather manage without a bed.

  She did think of asking Bumble to let her share her room, but she didn'tknow where her cousin's room was, and too, there might be only a single bedin it. So Patty decided to try the old sofa.

  As she had no pillow or bed-clothing, she rolled up a dress to put underher head and pinned two skirts together for a coverlet.

  But the old haircloth scratched her bare feet, and poor Patty soon jumpedup and sought another resting-place.

  She cuddled up in a big armchair which was soft and warm, and there shesoon fell asleep. But later, she awoke, so stiff from her cramped position,that she could scarcely move. So then she lay down on the floor and sleptthere the rest of the night.

  Next morning she dressed herself and went down-stairs at about eighto'clock, but nobody was in sight, so Patty went out on the veranda andwatched the waves as they came rolling and tumbling up on the beach.

  Then, with a view to exploring her new home, she walked round the house.

  This brought her to the kitchen, and through the window she saw a fat oldblack woman raking rigorously at the range.

  "Dis yer stove 'll make me lose my 'ligion," Patty heard her murmur, andshe felt sure she was listening to old Hopalong. "Good-morning, Hopalong,"she cried.

  "'Mawnin', missy; an' who be you?"

  "I'm Patty Fairfield, and I'm Mrs. Barlow's niece, and I've come to stayall summer."

  "Dat's good. I see you'se a nice, pretty-behaved little lady. Any ob defam'ly 'round yit?"

  "No, I haven't seen anybody."

  "Well, yere comes Massa Ted; now I mus' jes' be spry 'bout gettin' my co'nbrade done."

  Hopalong shuffled away, and Patty turned to see Uncle Ted coming towardsher.

  "Hello, Patty-girl," he cried, "you're up be times."

  "Yes," said Patty, "and so are you. Oh, Uncle Teddy, isn't the seagorgeous? I do love it so, and I'm so glad I'm here!"

  "That's good, little one; I'm glad you're glad. And now come to breakfast."

  Aunt Grace had been carried down-stairs by her husband and son, and wasalready in her place at the table.

  She called Patty to her and kissed her affectionately, and asked her if sheslept well. Patty hesitated a moment, then breaking into a merry laugh, shesaid:

  "Why, Auntie Grace, I _didn't_ sleep very well, for I hadn't any bed."

  "What?" exclaimed her aunt, in horror, "why, Patty, I ordered a littlebrass bed sent from Philadelphia purposely for you, and it arrivedyesterday morning. I told Dil to put it up in your room, and I told Euniceto see that it was properly made. But I confess I did forget to ask if myorders had been carried out, and,--I suppose they weren't. You poor child!How did you manage? Why didn't you tell us?"

  "Well, I didn't notice it until quite late," said Patty. "I was so busyputting my clothes and things away, that I never thought of anything elseat the time. And, anyway, I didn't mind for one night."

  Just then Bumble came in, and when she heard about Patty's experience shelooked astounded. "Why," said she, "I took Patty to her room myself, and Inever noticed that there was no bed there!"

  "You're a rattle-pated goosey," said her father: "but never mind, Patty,you shall have two beds to-night to make up for it,--I'll promise you that."

  "Don't believe him," cried Nan, gayly, as she ran into the dining-room. "Idon't know what Uncle Ted is saying to you,--but he won't do it. He neverkept a promise in his life!"

  "'Oh, promise me,'" began Uncle Ted, and then they all joined in and sang:

  "Oh, promise me that some day you and I Will take a piece of huc
kleberry pie, Some deviled eggs and strawberry ice cream, And have a picnic down by yonder stream. And then we'll wander through the fields afar, And take a ride upon a trolley car; But we'll come home again in time for tea,-- Oh, promise me--oh, promise me-e-e--"

  The last refrain rang out with a prolonged wail that seemed to Patty thefunniest thing she had ever heard, and she fairly shouted with laughter.

  "Oh, dear, you are the funniest family," she exclaimed; "I think I shallstay here six months instead of three."